Watering & Drought

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Watering & Drought Advice

During periods of law rainfall what do we need to do to maintain our lawns health?

OVERVIEW

The key will be a proactive approach, if you're not restricted by watering bans, start watering your lawn before it goes into drought stress. Water sufficiently from late April/May onwards.

Spotting the signs

Keep a look out for signs of moisture stress. A combination of high day temperatures, strong winds with little or no rain will prove to be a testing time for your lawns. It’s most evident when you look at foot traffic across the lawn, and often a colour change from its normal colour to a dull blue. Both symptoms suggest that the grass plant has insufficient moisture in the leaves to maintain their structure and is an indication that the moisture status of the plant is critically out of balance.

What can be done?

Definitely, raise the cut height to maximum, this will help with cooling the soil surface and reduce leaf stress.

If you decide to water, we suggest watering well and consistently throughout this period and beyond.

If you decide not to water, that isn’t a problem, the grass will do what it does naturally and go into drought dormancy, it will soon recover when adequate rain fall returns.

When and how much Water?

It is better to apply two/three good waterings per week to the lawn rather than frequent lights watering. Your lawn will require moistening to a depth of 6" weekly, for a loam or clay soil this will be achieved by approximately by 1-1½" of water. A sandy soil will be moistened to a depth of approximately 6" by ½ -¼" of water. For those on a meter the cost of watering a small to medium size lawn is probably less than you think.

If you decide that you are not comfortable and/or unable to commit to this watering either financially or time, then all is not lost.

Follow these simple mowing rules:

Raise the height of cut in dry weather to avoid weakening the grasses, we would recommend an ideal height be no shorter than 5-7cm.

Letting the clippings fall back onto the lawn rather than collecting them will act as mulch and slow down the evaporation of water from the soil surface. Make sure the clippings are small, or they will smother the grass and cause damage.

A light topping of the grass will be better than a severe "hacking",

Which lawns and grasses are affected? Ornamental lawns of fine bent-type grasses are most likely to suffer first. General garden lawns containing fescue and rye grass mixes may have more resistance. For many, the lawn will already be in stress before the symptoms are correctly recognised. Different grasses will do this at different times hence leaving the lawn looking patchy and not at its best, however, lawns that are properly cared for will retain their good looks for longer during a drought and recover quicker. A drought stressed lawn may brown and become weakened leaving it more susceptible to disease problems, insect damage and weed invasion.

A well-maintained lawn usually recovers rapidly with the onset of adequte rainfall, especially if appropriate lawn care is given.

How do I recognise drought stress? The first sign of a water deficit in the soil is wilting of the turf, at this stage footprints in the grass do not spring back. An additional sign is a colour change from its normal bright green to a dull blue.

It is more efficient to water your lawn at the first sign of drought, rather than wait until the lawn has become stressed or dormant.

When and how much Water? It is better to apply two/three good waterings per week to the lawn rather than frequent lights watering. Your lawn will require moistening to a depth of 6" weekly, for a loam or clay soil this will be achieved by approximately by 1-1½" of water. A sandy soil will be moistened to a depth of approximately 6" by ½ -¼" of water. For those on a meter the cost of watering a small to medium size lawn is probably less than you think.

If I decide not to water, what else should I do and what to expectIf you decide not to water, don't worry, the lawn is naturally designed to go into a dormant state, which protects its vital root system, visually, the grasses will go dormant and dry out going brown. It will recover when sufficient rainfall occurs.

You can help the lawn recover by spiking your lawn so that when water is applied it can run down into the soil and not sit on the top.

Apply a balanced feed to the soil to encourage a grass plant with strong roots.

Spiking - Aerate or spike your lawn so that when water is applied it can run down into the soil and not sit on the top.

Wetting agents - Applying a wetting agent will allow an water to penetrate into the soil profile and down to the root. Wetting agents are used by groundsman to overcome dry patches caused by a build up of water repellent deposits in the soil. These deposits coat the soil particles and cause them to harden, making them repellent to water. Wetting agents allow available water to soak into the grass, down to its roots, and not just sit on the top. But don't be fooled, they all require sufficient water to work.

Overseeding - Plan your autumn cultural activity for recovery, which could include aeration and over seeding.

Mulching - Letting the clippings fall back onto the lawn rather than collecting them will act as mulch and slow down the evaporation of water from the soil surface. Make sure the clippings are small, or they will smother the grass and cause damage.

Feeding - Despite the dry conditions, applying a balanced feed to the soil to encourage a grass plant with strong roots, this could be applied as either a granular or liquid feed.